March 2015 (Read-Only)

CHILD NUTRITION

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Farm to School Census Farm to School Workshops

Nutrition News Arkansas Department of Education

Arkansas Breakfast Month Friendly Reminders

VOLUME VIII, NO. 5

MARCH 2015

Tricks of the Trade

DATES TO REMEMBER

Identified

Apr 1

Student Percent-

age for CEP

Distance Learn- Apr 2

ing

Deadline to Sub- Apr mit CEP Report- 15

ing

Agreements and Apr or

Policy State-

May

ments Mailed

Distance Learn- May 7

ing

Taylor Elementary Hosts Breakfast Month Kick-off

JACKSONVILLE, AR (March 3, 2015)-The Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign and Midwest Dairy Council kicked off Arkansas School Breakfast Month at Taylor Elementary School in Jackson- ville. Taylor is an Arkansas Meals for Achievement school that serves Breakfast in the Classroom to all of their students every morning. When asked what she likes best about the program, one 5th grader said, "I get to eat breakfast with my friends." A kindergartener said, "I like it because it's fun." According to Principal Myeisha Haywood, "Everything about this program works for my stu- dents."

Miss Teen Interna onal, Blair Wortsmith, was on hand to tell the kids that, as a student herself, ea ng a good breakfast is cri cal to keeping up with her studies and fulfilling her busy schedule as Miss Teen Interna onal. Blair supported Breakfast in the Classroom as a great way for kids to Fuel Their Greatness!

As part of the month-long celebra on, the Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign and Midwest Dairy Council will be sponsoring the Arkansas Breakfast Challenge, which offers new grant dollars and incen ves to help schools adopt Breakfast-A er-the-Bell programs. Schools can apply for the Ar- kansas Breakfast Challenge through May 1, 2015.

Manager Certifi- June

cation Work-

15-26

shop, Parts 1 & 2

Manager Recertification

June 29July 3

Director Certifi- July 6cation Training 17

Directors Conference

July 2930

New Directors Conference (Part 1)

July 31

Miss Teen Interna onal Blair Wortsmith with students from Taylor Elementary School.

PAGE 2

FFVP Grant Announcement

Letters will be mailed to

schools before the end of the

school year.

Complete the USDA Farm to School Census

It's me to complete the second biennial USDA Farm to School Census! Back in 2013 we learned that more than 40,000 schools, serving 23.5 million students, were "bringing the farm to school." A lot can change in two years and we're excited to receive updated informa on through the 2015 USDA Farm to School Census. Go to h ps://r/2015F2SCensus.

Please complete the ques onnaire even if you are not currently purchasing any locally produced food or par cipa ng in farm to school by May 29, 2015.

Arkansas

School Health

Conference

June 24-26, 2015

Crowne Plaza

Little Rock, AR

"Creating and Sustaining a Healthy School Culture"

Perfect for Wellness Committee Members, including Child Nutrition Directors!



Farm to School Regional Workshops Planned

The Arkansas Children's Hospital Childhood Obesity Preven on Research Program and the Arkansas Grow Healthy team are excited to announce Farm to School Regional Workshops that will be available to schools, farmers and community partners in the fall of 2015. Par-

cipants can expect to learn how to menu, procure, market, and prepare local foods in schools. There will be business and produc on planning for farmers, and food safety train- ing for schools and farmers.

Hope, AR

October 15, 2015 at Southwest Research and Extension

Mon cello, AR October 29, 2015 at the University of AR--Mon cello

Jonesboro, AR November 5, 2015 at Arkansas State University

Harrison, AR November 11, 2015 at the North AR Community College

Li le Rock, AR November 19, 2015 at the Arkansas 4-H Center

Farm Tour in Newport

Arkansas Child Nutri on Directors and school foodservice staff are invited to tour Berries by Bill in Newport, Arkansas on April 13th at 2:00 PM. The program will include a walking tour of fields to see strawberry blooms, and freshly planted watermelon and sweet corn plants. A er the tour there will be a mee ng with owner Bill Landreth to discuss the variety of strawberries he grows, his food safety precau ons, ordering/shipping methods for his farm, and fresh produce availability. The farm is located off of exit 83 on Highway 67 North in Newport, AR. Contact Andrew Carberry for more informa on--(501) 364-6555.

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

VOLUME VIII, NO. 5

PAGE 3

Arkansas School Breakfast Month

Le to right: Rep. Charles Blake, Rep. Eddie Armstrong, Senator Bob-

by Pierce and Sen. Gary Stubblefield.

Legislators, educators and hunger relief advocates support the importance of Breakfast-A er-the-Bell programs.

LITTLE ROCK, AR (March 1, 2015)- Legislators, hunger relief advo- cates and educators gathered in the Old Supreme Court Chambers of the Arkansas Capitol today to proclaim March as Arkansas School Breakfast Month.

A common theme ran through the remarks of Sen. Gary Stub- blefield, Sen. Bobby Pierce, Rep. Eddie Armstrong and Rep. Charles Blake, all of whom spoke at today's event. As staunch supporters of Breakfast-A er-the-Bell programs and Arkansas Meals for Achievement legisla on, all recognized from personal experience that when we give our children what they need to grow and learn, we are giving them a chance to achieve more than they might oth- erwise. School breakfast is integral to helping children focus and learn. "This is a great program," said Senator Stubblefield,"and I hope it will con nue forever."

Educators Agree

Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab & Go and Second Chance breakfast models all take breakfast out of the cafeteria and make it part of the school day. While teachers were skep cal about the model, Principal Mellor says now, "Teachers can't imagine their days without Breakfast in the Classroom. It sets a good tone for the whole day."

Principal Mellor also shared the posi ve effects he is seeing in his school as a result of star ng a Breakfast in the Classroom pro- gram. Schools like Daisy Bates Elementary School, that have Breakfast-A er-the-Bell programs in place, are repor ng increases in the numbers of eligible students who are ea ng breakfast, and that means more federal child nutri on reimbursement dol- lars to schools. "We're seeing more of our kids ea ng breakfast," Mellor said, "and I think that's why some of the discipline has improved and why a endance has improved. Our breakfast par cipa on is up over 100% so we actually have more kids that come in for breakfast than we do for school lunch, and that's pre y phenomenal."

That the No Kid Hungry Breakfast-A er-the-Bell programs are showing good results overall for Arkansas students is clear from the recent School Breakfast Scorecard: 2013-2014, a study by the Food Research and Ac on Center. Arkansas went from 12th to 10th in the na on in eligible students that are par cipa ng school breakfast.

A month-long celebra on

The Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign and Midwest Dairy Council will be sponsoring the Arkansas Breakfast Challenge, which offers new grant dollars and incen ves to help schools adopt Breakfast-A er-the-Bell programs. Schools can apply for the Ar- kansas Breakfast Challenge through May 1, 2015.

There will also be an Orange Squeeze Photo Contest. Child Nutri on Directors from across the state will be sending crea ve photos of their students ea ng fresh oranges for breakfast on March 6th. The school with the most crea ve photo will receive a $1,500 cash prize, second place will receive $1,000 and the third place winner will receive $500.

Agreements and Policy Statements Will Be Mailed to District Superintendents Soon!

VOLUME VIII, NO. 5

Friendly Reminders PAGE 4

Remember to complete the second A er- school Snack On-side Review!

Remember to contact your local sanitarian if you have not received the second health

inspec on this school year!

Community Eligibility Provision

Iden fied Student Percentage (as of April 1, 2015) by school for CEP Repor ng is Due by April 15, 2015

See Commissioner's Memo FIN-15-098

Summer is right around the corner! Start thinking about summer feeding!

CNU offers Seamless Summer Op on and Regular Summer Meals Program.

DHS offers Summer Food Service Program.

Arkansas School Breakfast Challenge

To encourage more schools to make breakfast part of the school day, the Arkansas No Kid Hungry campaign and Mid- west Dairy Council are extending the applica on period for the Arkansas School Breakfast Challenge, which offers new grant dollars and incen ves to help schools adopt Breakfast- A er-the-Bell programs. Schools can apply for the Arkansas Breakfast Challenge through May 1, 2015.

Tricks of the Trade

By Ally Mrachek, MS, RD

Nutri on Supervisor

Child Nutri on Department

Faye eville Public Schools

In an a empt to serve more local foods and meet the red/orange vegetable meal pa ern requirement, Faye eville Public Schools (FPS) now serves local Sweet Potato Cuts. This product has re- placed sweet potato fries on the menu because its lower in fat and calories and be er accepted by students. The sweet potato chunks are peeled, chopped, and IQF to reduce prepara on me and make them easy to store; this product is an easy way to start pur- chasing local products for a farm to school program. FPS serves this product in the winter when fresh, local product is very limited. In the pictures you will see the frozen product, finished product on a tray, and signage used to promote the local item. A simple recipe is used: coat cuts with oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven.

Consider trying this local product or others that are available from your local distributor or local farmer!

May 4-8, 2015 School Nutrition Association National Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week!

Deadline to Apply for Managers Training Workshop is April 20!

ADE Commissioner's Communication Memos

The following Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner's Communication Memos relate to Child Nutrition Programs. A complete list can be accessed at child_nutrition_unit/cn-related-commissioners-memos

FIN-15-088: 2015 Child Nutri on Manager's Training Workshop

FIN-15-083: Summer Meals 2015

FIN-15-080: March Distance Learning: Food Safety and Sanita on: Dangers of Listeria, Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP), and Procurement Standards of Conduct

FIN-15-079: APSCN Financial Expenditure Codes for School Food Authori es contrac ng with Food Service Management Companies

FIN-15-078: Smart Snacks Regula ons and Second Trays

FIN-15-077: Funding Opportunity ? Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program SY 2015-2016

FIN-15-074: New Requirement: Wri en Code of Conduct for Employees Involved in Procurement in Child Nutri on Program

FIN-15-073: Severe Need Breakfast Funding SY 2015-16

FIN-15-072: February 5th Distance Learning ? SY 2015-16 Funds for AR Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, Severe Need Funding, Sum- mer Meals & A erschool Snack Program, No Kid Hungry Update

FIN-15-071: Assessing Proposed Costs for Nutri on Educa on and Marke ng Materials

FIN-15-058: Updated E-Rate Guidance for Schools Elec ng Community Eligibility Provision

FIN-15-057: Procuring Services of Purchasing Coopera ves, Group Purchasing Organiza ons, Group Buying Organiza ons, etc.

FIN-15-055: Eligibility Effec ve Date for Directly Cer fied Students

FIN-15-053: Determining Allowable School Fundraiser

Johnny Key Commissioner Arkansas Department of Educa on

Dr. Eric Saunders Assistant Commissioner Fiscal and Administra ve Services Arkansas Department of Educa on

Suzanne Davidson Director

Child Nutri on Unit Arkansas Department of Educa on

Stephanie Alsbrook Assistant Director Child Nutri on Unit Arkansas Department of Educa on

Evonne Rayson Project Manager and Editor

Child Nutri on Unit Arkansas Department of Educa on

Nutri on News is published by the Arkansas Department of Educa on Child Nutri on Unit, 2020 West 3rd Street Suite 404, Li le Rock, AR 72205-4465. Phone (501) 324-9502. Fax (501) 324-9505. Reprints are permi ed. Please credit the source and provide two copies of the reprint to the Editor.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal and, where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http:// plaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@.

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities and wish to file either an EEO or program complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish).

Persons with disabilities who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 7202600 (voice and TDD).

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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